Prince William breaks silence on Kate's cancer diagnosis and makes moving promise to her

Prince William has broken his silence on his wife Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis, pledging, during his first public outing since the news broke a month ago, to "look after" her.

In Surrey's Sunbury-on-Thames, the 41-year-old Prince of Wales was at food distribution charity Surplus to Supper, helping out with cooking and distributing food. While there, volunteer Rachel Candappa, 71, gave him two get well soon cards directed at the royal couple, moving William, who told her, "Thank you, you are very kind".

When Rachel requested him to care for Kate, he said, touching her shoulder, "I will". Rachel, from Sunbury-on-Thames, reflected on that moment: "I said take care of her and he said 'I will'.

"I was at home at 8.30 last night and I thought I had to do something this is a chance to give a card directly to the palace officials. I didn't think I'd be able to give the cards to William. I said 'can I shake your hand? ', I loved it, he was very down to earth. I'm never washing my hand again.", reports the Mirror.

"He pointed at the food and said 'that's spaghetti hoops' and I asked 'how do you know about spaghetti hoops and he said 'I've got children'."

Rachel also shared the heartfelt message inscribed inside the vehicle, reading: "Nation's hearts were broken when you very courageously went on the global stage on your own to talk about your personal health issues. With no trimmings or flowering around issues, you gave the chance just few chosen words to assure anyone who cares to listen that you will fight this dreadful "C" disease. You must have had a lot of steel in you to hold it together.

"Your Royal Highness you are going to beat this with the support of your dutiful and loving husband, caring parents and very close siblings. It's no miracle not only His Majesty the King but the whole world is proud how you are focusing on to keep healthy and protect your children through this difficult times. You have not stepped a foot wrong to date and don't let anyone say otherwise. The whole nation will be behind you."

Launched in 2017, Surplus to Supper has been distributing an average of 10 tons of food weekly to schools, food banks, care homes, religious entities, and youth centres. While visiting the charity, William donated supplies from his Adelaide Cottage kitchen - including a crate filled with pasta, potatoes, and tinned soup.

Upon his arrival at the charity located within Sunbury Cricket Club, Prince William shared a personal tidbit, mentioning "Louis loves" cricket as he greeted his hosts. Inside, the prince observed volunteers meticulously sorting items such as soaps, hand wash, and makeup, expressing his astonishment at the rose collagen mist spray to Claire Hopkins, operations director of Surplus to Supper.

He reflected on the wastefulness he witnessed, remarking he was surprised "how much we throw away" while seeing the array of goods being repurposed.

In the kitchen, Prince William joined chef Mario Colfait, who was busy preparing dishes like bolognese, sausage casserole, and chilli con carne. Donning an apron, the prince humorously commented, "It smells good in here Mario" before tackling the task of chopping celery with a notably large knife.

The facility is known for creating 'culturally-appropriate' meals that are distributed to local families. Joking about the potential hazards of his culinary contribution, William quipped about the size of the knife and his concern for the meal, saying: "It's the biggest knife, hope for the best" and playfully added, "I don't want to mess up everyone's lunch. I hope I haven't ruined your lunch, but you can blame me."

While observing the volunteers package food for those in need, he praised the effort, noting: "It's amazing the amount of food and variety."

Discussing his own kitchen prowess, or lack thereof, he told the volunteers: "Mario took one look at my chopping and said 'move on'. I'm never normally trusted with a knife I'd cut my finger off. You all do a fantastic job and all this food is making my tummy rumble."

Prince William recently joined volunteers from a food distribution charity, Surplus to Supper, on a delivery run to a local youth centre. The royal hopped in the charity's van for the three-mile journey to the Hanworth Centre Hub in Feltham, west London.

Upon arrival around 1pm, the prince, donned in a high-vis orange charity vest, jumped out and assisted in unloading the van. Holding a crate full of bananas, he asked: "Anywhere in particular? " before handing it over to a volunteer.

He engaged Siobhan Donoghue, CEO of Perfectly Imperfect, in conversation about her connection with the Surplus to Supper team and how their work was coordinated. The prince showed interest in the age range of the young people who frequent the centre and how the staff interacted with the local community.

Willam also took time to chat with three young attendees of the centre, Ella Vianni, Liv Cobb and Maisie Allen, asking about their favourite activities. "How are you all today? " William said as he sat down.

"Bit nervous? " One of the girls shared that she enjoyed helping with cooking and making cakes.

"You're a baker then? " He responded: "That's a good one to be. Everyone wants a baker as a friend, it's pretty cool."

He also enquired about another girl's art and whether she found it relaxing. Before leaving, the prince had a brief conversation with Ms Hopkins about her work with Surplus to Supper.

She later shared: "He said we were doing a great job and he could see the difference that this model makes."

William devoted the last three-and-a-half weeks of the Easter holidays to be with his wife and kids, processing Kate's diagnosis. Sharing a video message to the citizens of the nation on March 22, urging for a respect of their family's privacy in this trying time, Kate made a revelation post her chemotherapy announcement.

In a heartfelt plea, she declared: "I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay."

From the moment they shared Kate's health update, the Prince and Princess of Wales confessed to be "enormously touched" and "extremely moved" by the public's outpouring of warmth and unwavering support. Following this life-changing announcement, the entire family chose to skip the Easter Sunday service held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, even though they had celebrated the occasion last year.

March 19 marked William's last official outing, before today, as he visited Sheffield advocating for his Homewards homelessness campaign. Kensington Palace earlier indicated that post the school vacations, William would cut back on his official commitments to focus more on providing moral support to Kate as she undergoes her treatment.

Last week, Prince William was spotted taking his eldest son, Prince George, to an Aston Villa football match. They watched as William's childhood favourite club triumphed over Lille in the Europa Conference League at Villa Park.

This marked his first public appearance since the announcement of Kate's illness. Her cancer was detected during post-operative examinations after her abdominal surgery in January.

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